1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing sheet-like elements from a store of such elements, for example, banknotes, to one of a plurality of receipt openings in the apparatus, accessible to, for example, a cashier or a customer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus of this kind is known, for example, from Swedish Patent Specification No. 7711412-2, said apparatus comprising conveying means for conveying sheet-like elements from the store to a collecting means and from there to the receipt opening, said conveying means being electrically controlled, so as to convey the sheet-like elements dispensed from the store and collected in the collecting means, in response to an order made by the cashier or customer to that receipt opening to which the sheet-like elements have been dispatched in response to the orders given by the cashier or customer.
An apparatus of this kind is required to function swiftly and to be fully secure. The arrangement of two or four mechanically separated receipt openings affords the advantage that if, for some reason or other, a cashier or customer does not remove the bundle of sheet-like elements dispatched to the receipt opening allocated to that particular cashier or customer, sheet-like elements ordered by another cashier or customer and collected in said collecting means can nevertheless be dispatched to another receipt opening, thereby enabling the apparatus to be utilized by other cashiers or customers.
It is possible, however, for a situation to occur, where a collected bundle of sheet-like elements remains in the collecting means while waiting for an all-clear signal from a data processor controlling the apparatus. For example, it may be that a customer wishes to withdraw a given number of banknotes or check, whereupon a check is made through the data processor in order to insure that the customer has the authority to make the withdrawal. As will be understood, this check may take a relatively long time, during which withdrawals through the remaining receipt openings cannot take place. This is a limitation of the known apparatus.